Bristol Hospital Advocates Troubled By Prospect Of New Medical Facility

'This is a very provocative and aggressive move,' State Rep. Whit Betts Says

BRISTOL — The Hospital of Central Connecticut is finishing work on a new 15,000-square-foot medical office and primary care center on Pine Street that it says will improve service for its patients from outside of New Britain.

But it's not getting a warm reception from supporters of Bristol Hospital, which is just over a mile away.

"I can only come to the conclusion that they're trying to put Bristol Hospital out of business," state Rep. Whit Betts, R-Bristol, said Thursday. "This is a very provocative and aggressive move by the Hospital of Central Connecticut."

Some Bristol Hospital board members see the move as a competitor moving in to take market share. But Claudio Capone, director of strategic business planning for the New Britain-based Hospital of Central Connecticut, said the new facility's location was selected for patient service only, not competition.

"It has nothing to do with that. This is for existing patients from Plainville, Bristol and Southington," Capone said Thursday. "There's a direct correlation to what our patients need."

The Hospital of Central Connecticut is relocating the Plainville offices of four physicians to a former school at the busy intersection of Middle and Pine streets in Bristol. That area has become a commercial hub since the new Route 72 was completed, with CVS and Thomaston Savings Bank building large outlets nearby.

When it opens Oct. 1, the facility will have a primary care and walk-in medical office, an outpatient lab, a radiology center and the HOCC Wound Care Center.

"By moving our Plainville office to Bristol, we can expand the range of services we provide to our current and new patients living in Bristol and in the surrounding communities," Dr. Kent Stahl, chief executive officer of Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, said in a statement when the move was announced in July.

"This is 1.2 miles from the entrance to my hospital — you could walk it," said Kurt Barwis, president of Bristol Hospital. "Their services are duplicating things we do. This is as aggressive a move as I've seen in my career."

Betts said he opposes any move that could jeopardize jobs at Bristol Hospital, one of the city's biggest employers. Bristol is one of the most cost-efficient hospitals in Connecticut, he added.

Connecticut's community hospitals traditionally were independent and non-profit, and kept most facilities in or near their primary service areas. But the market has been changing rapidly in recent years, with small hospitals seeking out alliances or partnerships with larger ones to survive.

Hartford HealthCare, the parent company of Hartford Hospital, runs a network that includes the Hospital of Central Connecticut, as well as community hospitals in Meriden, Windham and Mansfield. Last month, the state approved adding Backus Hospital in Norwich to the group.

Bristol Hospital is affiliated with Yale-New Haven Hospital. This year, the private Vanguard Health Systems was planning to acquire Bristol Hospital and take control of Waterbury Hospital, but those deals have been put on hold by a decision by Gov. Dannel Malloy.